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Wednesday, November 5, 2014

Paw

The ancestors of this creature having been roaming the hills of the South Canterbury region since around 1874. Rarely are they seen during the day. They bound about during the black of night seeking nourishment. Many have succumbed to instant lead poisoning. Declared a pest they are hunted.
I stumbled across this corpse when I was checking out the Mackenzie pass after completing a job in the the neighborhood. I lived in Wiamate (South Canterbury) as a very young boy while my father was a teacher there. Tales of this Australian invader lurking behind every tussock intrigued me. I never saw one in the wild. Imagine my excitement when I saw this fresh carcass on the side of the road. Who knew Red Neck Wallabies had such menacing looking front paws.